Towerbank and the Student Support Centre

[Porty]

Seanie is the Freedom of Information Act in the public domain?

[seanie]

Yep.

And a guide to requesting information can be found here, including;

• You can ask for any information you think a public authority may hold. The right only covers recorded information.
• Your request can be in the form of a question, but the authority does not have to answer your question if this would mean creating new information or giving an opinion or judgement that is not already recorded.
• You should clearly identify the information you want.

It also suggests;

• Be as clear as possible. If the authority isn’t sure what you want, it will have to ask you for further explanation.
• Try to pinpoint what you really want. Your request may be refused if it would be too expensive for the authority to deal with. The authority may also charge you for some expenses, such as photocopying. If necessary, start by asking for a list of the information available about the topic.
• Where possible, ask for specific information rather than using open-ended questions. “What” or “how much” are more likely to get a useful response than “why”.
• Use straightforward, polite language; avoid basing your request or question on assumptions or opinions, or mixing requests with complaints or comments.

So making specific, targeted requests is encouraged.

[Klingon]

.

[Klingon]

.

[SoupDragon]

I've seen the TV ads for this company so am now aware they are a commercial business, if I had been sent a letter home asking to be returned to the school I would initially have thought it was some type of after school club.
None of my kids are in primary education now so I dont know if the schools round here "promote" other companies in the same way, ie Kumon.

I agree with Bobs initial comment in that I pay my taxes and expectt he schools and education dept to teach my children and give extra support if needed (which they did with my rather dyslexic child )

Klingon's salesman reminds me of a pushy double glazing firm not someone concerned about the welfare and wellbing of a child

[Bob Jefferson]

Did the salesman know he was being filmed?

[Klingon]

Did the salesman know he was being filmed?

Hello Bob,

No, he didn't. I am a freelance journalist, but the tape has not been presented to anyone outside my home, and the salesman's privacy is therefore preserved. It has, however, been stored safely if the Student Support Centre want to challenge the written comments and evidence I've supplied, copied here.

J.

[Maria]

Believe the Student Support Centre is also targeting Secondary Schools.

[Klingon]

.

[seanie]

So how did your complaint go?

[Bob Jefferson]

I have also been contacted by the journalist in question.

[Klingon]

Hello again Bob - I'm glad you're involved, not least because you had, entirely independently, expressed precisely the same reasons for concern as those I had.

Seanie: My criticism was an attempt to get the LEA to look again at its involvement in allowing the use of the schools and headteachers to market their material, rather than a simple complaint. I made my report on the sales visit as previously given in this thread, and have not seen or heard of any further marketing by the Student Support Centre on Anglesey since then.

Best regards from over here to over there!
J.

[seanie]

I thought you'd made a complaint to the ICO?

[SameOldStory]

Klingon,

any idea when this article is likely to appear? I'm going to setup a meeting with the head at my child's school and an article in a national newspaper would certainly make it easier to complain.

[Bob Jefferson]

From today's Guardian:

Parents angered by schools' promotion of home tuition schemes

[Bob Jefferson]

TES (Times Educational Supplement) now showing interest in this story.

[interesting...]

bit of info to support previous bits and pieces

TSSC do pay a fee to schools that send the froms out via children

how much depends on the information received, yes/no & if the parents decide to go ahead

hard sell-well the salesmen/women need to learn a script which runs to a lot of pages

commission only, no sale no earnings, wasted evening, petrol etc

TSSC have got to keep the schools onside as it's their main source of income

Cancellations may also take place after the cool-off period...

IMHO there is a bit of a whifff of .......... on both sides, parents & salesmen; the 1st should ask more questions and a breathing space, the latter don't always act in the parent's/children's interests although they may dress it up that they have...not forgetting the schools allowing access @ the start

another point is that again IMHO teachers don't always tell the truth at parent meetings, how often do you hear 'as well as expected' 'she's doing fine' or some other bland statement?

TSSC tests might then show the child is sadly lacking hence the need-then teachers reject the need for the program because 'the child doesn't need it' or is it because failings in the system have been exposed - raw nerves all round?

question:
why did klingon remove his remarks-did he realise he had done something illegal-filming without consent?